


Sing Me To Sleep

by ChildofMyth



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Genre: Domestic, F/M, Gen, Harvest Moon is intrinsically domestic, guess not a domestic au since, i hope you enjoy, i like Gustafa okay, more characters added as they appear, slowburn, you know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 18:25:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11560851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChildofMyth/pseuds/ChildofMyth
Summary: You had always been a Mineral Town girl, born and raised on the pavel stone roads and friendly neighborhood. You used to think you’d die there, and that thought left you feeling… Empty.So what did you do? You left for the town next door to seek new experiences, and you found an abandoned farm, not unlike the ones in Mineral Town, and you found pavel stone roads like Mineral Town, and you found(decidedly new) friendly neighbors like Mineral Town had.But Forget-Me-Not Valley had one thing Mineral Town did not.Gustafa





	1. Prologue

Everyone had always told you the Mineral Town was peaceful and lovely. That they would never leave their fair town, with its fresh air, and sweeping valleys. Everyone had always expected you to feel the same way.

But you did not.

You tried, and yet you just could not bring yourself to want for nothing more than Mineral Towns charms. It was your home, the place you grew up, but you would not let it be the place you died as well. Not without being something first.

So when you were at work in the winery, and a dark skinned man sporting an anchor tattoo on his arm mentioned a deserted farm in his own town offhandedly, you packed your things that night and left for Forget-Me-Not Valley that morning. You would miss your family no doubt, and you would miss your friends, but you knew how Mineral Town worked. Even if your leaving saddened the town, they would bounce back quickly. Nothing ever changes there.

When you arrived at your destination, a mere two hours later, you sought out and approached the dark skinned man that had been at the winery. You soon learned his name was Takakura.

And the next thing you knew you held the deed to the farm and was moving in to the empty house in the corner.

Hopefully, this was the fresh start you had been looking for.


	2. Chapter 1

As it turns out, farming is much more difficult than you had expected. In Mineral Town you had regularly helped Popuri and Rick with their farm, but they only had chickens. Now you were suddenly saddled with a whole pasture and a beautiful cow whose name you have yet to decide; a couple of vegetable seeds, and absolutely no training and no connections.

Takakura helped somewhat but he was quiet mostly and you got the distinct impression that you were bothering him, so you thanked him and decided to try and figure it out on your own. How hard could it be? They were just plants.

Very hard, apparently. Your attempt at tilling the ground were arduous to say the least, and by the time you had a decently tilled plot of land, at least in your eyes, you regretting not wearing gloves. Your palms shook, skin busted open and red around the edges. You weren’t bleeding, for that you were thankful, but the sweat slipping down your skin burned in your hands nonetheless. And it was already noon, yet you hadn’t actually planted a thing yet. So you bit back the pain and set to carefully planting your meager supply of seeds until the sack was empty, and finished by watering the soil with care.

You were proud, you decided, of your little accomplishment today. Proud, at least, until you heard the low bellowing moo from your barn. Your shoulders dropped in exhaustion and disappointment as you slipped on your gloves too late and trudged towards the barn. From the corner of your eye you noticed Takakura pausing with his hand on the knob of his own house. He stood watching you through his thick brows and squinted eyes before shaking his head and disappearing into his home. You swallowed back the wave of shame that swept over you. You knew he could see right through you, that you weren’t cut out for this in any way. It was just a matter of time before he took the deed back from you.

Or maybe he expected you to give up.

You pushed past the door into the barn and smiled half-heartedly at your new cow.

“Hey there girl. Bare with me, and let’s figure this out together, hm?” You spoke, smoothing your hand over the short, bristlily fur on her flank. She only mooed again in response and you crouched low, foregoing the stool you couldn’t seem to locate, and set up the milker. And by set up, you really just kind of pivoted it around until it looked right, probably right at least, and turned it on. Luckily you seemed to get that right at least, filling two whole cans of milk. You celebrated by rewarding your cow with a brush down and letting her out into the pasture.

You lugged the cans one at a time to the storage house and into the shipping box for Takakura to take away. Then you wiped the sweat from your forehead and looked up at the sky, just to realize that your new daily activities had just taken you exactly 3 hours just to complete. And they were simple tasks too, what would happen if you got more cows? Or chickens? Goddess you couldn’t even stand to think about that right now and instead decided leave your farm to officially mingle with your new neighbors.

Or you would at least try to.

Once you decided to head to the farm across the river first, you began to walk that way with only mild trepidation. That feeling got only worse however, once you locked eyes with a black haired man in a dirty button up and hard eyes. He all but scowled at you and turned his back to you. You found your eyes falling to the dirt path beneath you instead, chest feeling tight suddenly.

You didn’t turn back though, and instead approached one of the two small houses on the property, the one with the sign reading ‘Vesta’s’ on it. You knocked politely and waited outside the door until it was pulled open, revealing a lovely brunette woman, around her early to mid twenties. She blinked at you in surprise before smiling kindly and ushering you in.

“So that’s why you knocked.” She giggled softly as you passed her. You looked back to her with concern, biting your lip gently.

“What do you mean?” Had you done something odd, or something wrong?

She just shook her head and rounded the wooden counter in the middle of the building. “Oh, well you must be the new farmer, right? So you didn’t know you don’t have to knock on that door. This is where Vesta sells seeds, and you’re free to enter the store at any time during our open hours.” She explained carefully, folding her hands in front of herself. She pointed to the far wall and giggled lightly again, an honestly adorable little laugh that reminded you of Mary.

“Next door is where Vesta, Marlin, and I live though, so that’s the door to knock on.” The brunette reached a hand forward and smiled sweetly. “My name is Celia, it’s very nice to meet you. Outside is Marlin, and Vesta is away right now but I’m certain she’ll make sure to introduce herself to you as soon as possible. Welcome to Forget-Me-Not Valley!”

You reached our hand forward without hesitation, only after shaking her hand did you remember your wounded palms. You bore the sting though and retracted your hand maybe a touch too quickly; but thankfully Celia hadn’t seemed to notice.

You grinned back and nodded to the girl. “Thank you so much, Celia. You’re actually the first person, other than Takakura, that I’ve met since I moved here.” You mentioned offhandedly, only to stop sharply as she gasped.

“Did Takakura not introduce you to everyone?” She asked in concern, leaning over the edge of the counter towards you. You swallowed thickly and chuckled away your discomfort.

“Uh, well, he told me basically what building was what, that I bought seeds here, and the bar was down the street and that stuff, but no he never really introduced me to anyone.” You paused for a second and laughed again, the sound was weak though this times, and dropped your gaze to your feet. “Honestly I don’t really think he likes me…” You whisper sadly.

A small hand gently takes your own, causing you to look up into Celia’s soft, kind eyes as she took your hand into both of yours to pet gently. Her smile was reassuring.

“Takakura is the silent type. He tends to stay away from people but you’ll grow on him.” You held back the urge to shake your head and explain your suspicions on the idea that he was just waiting for you to give up. Instead you nodded and smiled back.

“Allow me to give you a few tips on the people you’ll meet here. Because, some of them can be odd, and others can be plain difficult, and I think you’d be better prepared of I warned you first. May I?” She paused for your answer. You nodded your permission.

“Wonderful! Marlin for one can be somewhat rude on occasion, but he’s very kind at heart. I promise it. Vesta is loud and brash and all around hearty, and I know she’ll love you. Up the river on this side though, are two excavation diggers named Carter and Flora. They’re… Different, but very friendly. The people in our town are very diverse and kind from athletes, to scientists. And at the top of the hill is Romana’s mansion.” She explained patiently. “But of you ever need to know anything about any specific person in the valley, you may come to me and ask. I’d be glad to help, and honestly I don’t have very many people to talk to.” She slowly trailed off to silence and released your hand. You placed your on top of her own on the counter and smile at the brunette after a moment.

“I’ll gladly come back and talk to you, especially since I’ll be coming here a lot for seeds.” You promised Celia, feeling a little warmer inside as her smile spread her lips again.

“That sounds wonderful.” She whispered in a tone similar to awe.

“CELIA!”

Celia jumped suddenly and picked up her dress, racing to the door. “Oh! That’s Marlin, I have to go!” You chuckled at the flustered look on her face and nodded in understanding before suddenly shouting for her to wait. She froze in the doorway.

You told her your name, having just realized you’d never said it before. Celia smiled and nodded before racing out to her fields to meet with Marlin, leaving you to stand in silence.

Well, at least you’d made a new friend.

You decided you’d go ahead and meet a few others tomorrow, you already felt exhausted today, and from doing so little too. But you did know what you wanted to do next.

This valley was right next to the ocean. It had a lovely beach.


	3. Chapter 2

The sand felt coarse against your skin as you sat down, draping your arms limply over your knees. A sigh slipped from your lips as you gently took off one glove to look over your hands. Sure, they would harden into callouses but for now they hurt like hell. You paused your movements, biting the inside of your cheek in thought.

They would… If you even gave them the time to form. But ever since this morning’s tilling session, the idea had been planted in your mind that being in Mineral Town had been so much easier. That perhaps you had jumped into this too blindly. That maybe… Just maybe you might live up to Takakura’s expectations.

You might just quit.

Droplets fell onto you open palm and stung the split skin beneath. You blinked in surprise, causing more drops to fall as you realized you were crying. You rubbed at the tears harshly and spit out a pathetic laugh. Wow, you were crying on a beach after one tough day. How amazing and grown up of you! Maybe you should give up, the life of a farmer clearly wasn’t for you.

Maybe you should just pack up and go home.

That’s all you’re good for, anyways.

A sob bit into your throat at that thought and you tried to shake your head, to deny the truth of those thoughts, but you could only sit there, weeping pathetically while you ground your palms against your red rimmed eyes.

You sniffled through your tears and opened one eye to stare down at your lap, slowly realizing that you could hear the chords of a guitar being plucked. You choked back another sob and turned around, eyes sweeping across the area until they landed on the Hut nearby. Next to said structure stood a huge tree.

And leaned against said tree, was a man in a big green hat and bell-bottoms strumming his guitar languidly. Once you quieted down again, you realized you could also just barely hear the softness of, what you assumed was, his voice singing along with the melody. The words were unidentifiable though, which must be what had urged you from your spot on the sand, and brought you closer to the man who stood with his back to you.

You approached the trees other side and placed your hands against the bark, resting your forehead against the trunk to allow yourself to listen to his quiet song. The notes seemed to fill your heart with warmth, and suddenly you felt powerful again, you felt confident, and most importantly, you felt like never giving up.

You closed your eyes and subconsciously began to hum along with him.

The notes never halted, but a voice accompanying then shocked your eyes back open.

“Would you like to sing with me?”

When you leaned over just a touch, you could see the man had leaned over as well and was now looking in your direction with a gentle smile. You watched the glint of his round, purple shades in awe before realizing you had yet to answer.

“I-I..” you mumbled uselessly before clearing your throat. “I’m sorry, I don’t know the words…”

The man just shook his head. “The words aren’t important.” That took you back for a moment long enough to let the musician turn around to face you, half of his face hidden by the tree, just the same as you peeked out at him. He continued to strum, undeterred, and tipped his head down to let his shades slip just a bit down his nose. A shining, soft blue orb stared back at you, pale as the moon itself.

His smile widened at the edges.

“Just sing something along with the melody.”

And all at once, you felt entranced. You opened your mouth and–.

“What’s your name?” You blurted out, picking your head back up from against the tree. The man blinked in surprise and actually missed a cord. He only laughed it off though, pushing his shades back up his large nose.

“My name is Gustafa. And you must be the new farmer I heard about.” He offered, leaving you to nod and give him your name in return. He simply smiled and turned back around to press his back to the tree. You edged around the tree to join him at his side. You watched on as his fingers glided over his guitar strings, weaving a new beautiful tune while the sunset behind you both shone at the edges of his glasses.

“What are you playing?” You asked softly, watching his fingers gently pluck each string at a time. Gustafa shook his head.

“Nothing specific, just playing a tune that matches how I feel inside.” The notes practically lifted off of the instrument and surrounded you, easing away your worries. You blinked slowly, drinking in the warmth of the sun at your back and awash with the melody flowing all around you. “What does it sound… What does it  _feel_  like to you?” He whispered.

You opened your eyes to look into his, through his dark purple shades and smiled.

“Peace.”

For some reason, you felt a wash of pride when he smiled again this time and nodded, daisy tucked into the brim of his hat bouncing along with him. “You understand, it’s real groovy.” He spoke softly, tipping his head back to look up into the sky. You did as well.

“Oh man, it’s getting late!” You shouted in shock, springing to your feet. “I was planning on going to sleep early to get used to my new schedule!” And with that, you began to race up the hill to your farm, when you skidded to a sudden stop and turned back to the green clad man. He remained leaning against the tree, gently strumming soft chords. you took a step back towards him, biting your lip before speaking.

“Do you stay up at night?” You asked, curiosity getting the best of you. Maybe, if he didn’t mind, after hard days you could come and listen to his music to relax again. Gustafa glanced up at you in surprise, then cracked a smile.

“I like to play for the fireflies. They like it.” He replied simply, and with that you were left in awe. Maybe, from another person, that might have sounded strange and weird. And yet from him, with all his certainty and gentleness, you believed him.

You smiled back at him and nodded, then turned and ran home.


	4. Chapter 3

Thankfully, the gauze bandaging in your bathroom helped with the split skin on your hands, keeping the area padded well. You still made sure to put your gloves on though before heading out for the morning. You had been trying to wake up at 6am, but 8am would have to do for now. Besides, you had no more seeds to plants, so you had less chores to do today.

Watering your plants was easy and calming, and sure you had to stop twice to rip out some weeds, but that was all apart of the job. When that was done, you hopped the fence to your pasture, realizing you had left your cow out all night. You made a mental note not to make a habit of it.

“Hey, girl.” You cooed softly, stroking her lovely flank. She mooed in response. The milker was easier to set up this time, now that you knew mostly what you were doing; and she easily filled up two more cans of milk, which you dragged to the shipping bin.

By the time you were done, it was 10am and you were ready to go meet more of your neighbors. You decided to head right when you exited your farm this time, towards the bar and spattering of houses. Of course, the first building you reached was the large inn sitting just outside of your farm.

You pushed your way inside just to be greeted by an Asian man at the counter with a small mustache and squinted eyes. He had a little, tiny bellboy hat on that contrasted with his large stature and honestly, you had to stifle a small giggle at that.

“Welcome to the Inner Inn! How may I serve you?” He called out to you since you stayed at the door to survey the area. There was a tantalizing smell drifting through the air.

You jumped a little after he spoke and scurried up to the counter with a smile. You reached you hand over the counter.

“I’m the new farmer!” You announced in a chipper voice, and the man smiled back, taking your hand.

“Tim, owner of the inn, and Ruby, my wife, runs the kitchen.” He explained, pointing behind you to the right wall after releasing your hand. “She’s in there now if you’d like to go and say hello.”

You turn around and spot an open door frame with nothing separating the rooms aside from a few flaps of plastic(?) insulator you supposed.

“Our son lives here too, up the stairs to the right. His name is Rock and he’s… Well he’s there.” He spoke with a sigh, leaning his head on his palm. You frowned in confusion but didn’t push the subject.

“And to the left upstairs is a girl who showed up here just a few weeks ago. A quiet girl but who knows, maybe you can get to know her.” He suggested with a shrug and you looked up at the ceiling, trying to visualize the two room above to no avail.

“Does this girl have a name?” You asked carefully, looking back at Tim with an arched brow. He nodded.

“Nami is all I’ve gotten out of her. That and that she likes the spring here.” He went on before shrugging again. He motioned to the kitchen just then. “If you’re hungry, I’m sure my wife wouldn’t mind feeding you. She’s sort of like the valley mom.” He said with a small laugh and you nodded eagerly, stomach growling on cue.

“Thank you so much, Tim. I look forward to seeing you again!” You called after you as you disappeared into the kitchen.

The moment you pushed past the plastic into the kitchen, you found yourself swamped in warmth and a wonderfully alluring aroma. Across the kitchen island, stood a smaller, plump, asian woman who turned and smiled at you. You already felt your heart warm at her attention.

“We’ll hello there! Tim must have sent you in. Please, sit, sit. I’ll be done with this in a moment. I hope an omelet will do this morning?” She asked in a chipper tone and you sat at the island quickly, already salivating.

“Yes! Please, I haven’t had an omelet since I slept over at Popuri’s last!” You announced excitedly and Ruby only giggled in response.

“We’ll then, I hope I don’t dissapointed.” She joked, turning around with two plates of omelets, perfectly fluffy. You felt you might explode from hunger lust.

As soon as your hand was holding a fork you were shoveling the meal into your mouth. As it turned out, you tended to forget to make yourself breakfast in favor of getting your farm chores done early. So you were very hungry now.

Ruby only watched on, both joyful at your glee for her meal, and a little concerned. “Now, now please try and make sure you don’t go and choke.” She warned softly, cutting into her own omelet.

You blushed fiercely and slowed down a bit, though continued taking large bites.

You were so absorbed in your food, that you didn’t hear the shuffle of feet behind you. Another person plopped down on the seat beside you and leaned their elbows on the counter, glancing over at you. They produced a low whistle.

“I like a girl that can eat.” It was a boy, at least by the sound of his voice and inane comment. You swallowed your mouthful as Ruby stood to work up this new-comer’s breakfast. “Be kind, Rock. This is the new farmer.”

You straightened up tensely and turned to look at Rock, eyes casting over his somewhat odd apparel, sparkling blue eyes, and blonde hair. Though, looking closely, you could see his roots were, in fact, black; and even his eye color looked too odd. Dyed hair and colored contacts it seemed. You set your mouth in a thin line as he continued to confidently watch you.

“What, exactly… Is that supposed to mean?” You chose your words carefully, threading your fingers together to stare at him. He didn’t hesitate a moment, grin plastered on his face.

“I’m just saying, most girls only take those lousy little nibbles and barely eat, it’s boring.” He rolled his eyes and you felt yourself seethe inside. Ruby’s spatula scraped to a stop, but she remained with her back to you, still and silent.

“But you, look at you! Ripping into it with no thought to your figure, I love it.” He finished, never waving in that cheeky smile.

Your fork gently set onto the plate and you smiled at Ruby as she slowly turned around, dead behind the eyes. “Thank you for the wonderful breakfast, Ruby. I have to go now though, I have farm work to attend to.” You spoke strongly, standing up. You turned to look down at Rock with the same dead eyed smile.

“And Rock? That’s the douchiest thing any one has ever said to me.” You nearly growled, before swiftly turning and leaving the kitchen, fists clenched. Rock’s expression only broke then, into a wide eyed, confused expression. You ignored him. You stopped at the door at the sound of your name being called however, turning around to swift shuffling feet.

There Ruby came to your side, holding a small box tied in a patterned handkerchief. She frowned at the ground.

“I’m sorry about my son, but would you be willing to bring Muffy at the bar her packed lunch?” She asked timidly, eyes still locked on the ground in shame. You smiled softly and patted her on the shoulder. She looked up at you, eyebrows furrowed and tears almost slipping from her eyes.

“I am so sorry about Rock…” She insisted but you only shook your head. “Not at all Ruby, nothing I haven’t heard before. Doesn’t mean I’ll stop enjoying yours and Tim’s company. I’ll gladly bring Muffy her food.” You reassured, taking the package carefully. Ruby smiled up at you happily, nodding.

Over your shoulder you saw Rock watching you, confusion written all over his face.

But you simply turned and left the Inner Inn.


	5. Chapter 4

You ground your teeth together as you approached the bar, knot of the bag lunch gripped tightly in your fist. That Rock, where did he get the nerve? You scoffed.

It was useless to try and understand guys like that.

You pushed open the door to the Blue Bar and glanced around the empty room. It was still quite early so of course the bar wasn't open yet, but you did have this... Muffy's lunch. As you pondered over whether that was her correct name or not, the door to your right opened and out of it emerged an aged man with a quaff of brown hair tied in a bushy ponytail in the back. He had equally thick brown eyebrows and a mustache that pronounced his nose well, but hid his small eyes.

He looked up at you, eyebrows raising in surprise. You jumped, realizing you were intruding.

"Oh gosh! I'm sorry, I know you're not open right now but I'm the new farmer, and Ruby sent me to give Murphy her lunch-- MUFFY! Muffy, her lunch-- I'm new I--... Hi." You rambled on until you finally just pressed your face into your hand, holding up the spoken of lunch uselessly.

There was a moment longer of silence until a gruff laugh filled the room between you both. You looked up in surprise.

The country man only smiled at you with his hands on his hips. "Muffy's in the back. I'm Griffin, the barkeep and if you act like this all the time, I might have to ask you to be around more often." He stated plainly, pointing a thumb to the door behind him before moving past you to get to the front door.

You blushed fiercely and groaned to yourself before returning the introduction and waving to Griffin as he left for errands.

Then you turned back to the inner door and opened it, poking your head in. "Muffy?" You called, taking inventory of the room before you. In the corner sat a guitar.

The panel on the ceiling shifted, drawing your attention to the attic entrance, accompanied by a short step ladder. Out of the panel, came a tumble of blonde curls, followed by a gorgeous woman with bright green eyes. They locked on you curiously.

"How can I help you, darlin'?" She asked with a slight southern drawl. You smiled, watching her descend the step ladder and push her thick golden locks from her face. You held the lunch forward triumphantly.

"Ruby asked me to give this to you! I'm the new farmer, its wonderful to meet you!" You explained happily, relinquishing the lunch to the blonde. Her mouth spread into a wonderful smile and she held one hand against her chest, bouncing giddily.

"Oh it's absolutely wonderful to meet you too, darlin'! I didn't realize our new farmer was gonna be here so soon, but now I'm so happy! It's always great to have more friends here." She giggled, moving a hand to hold your shoulder. "I just want to warn you now, but I'm going to be your new best friend. Or at least I'm going to try." She promised with a wink, before turning her attention to her lunch. She let out a relived breath.

"Thank the stars for Ruby, I might be able to mix drinks but I can't cook a lick." You laughed at that with her, deciding she was sweet and you'd like her.

"Oh hey, come with me to the bar. I still have a few glasses to wash, and you can keep me company while I'm at it." She suggested, hand threading into your own. She paused for a moment though. "Oh heavens, I mean you can join me as long as you're not busy. I have a terrible habit of assuming things, but I promise I'm trying to shake it." She explained with a huff and roll of her eyes. You only giggled a little and agreed to come with. She smiled joyfully and led you back to the main room and to a seat around the bar.

The blonde picked up a glass from the mini sink and began to wash it with a cloth, looking at you with expectant eyes. "So,  _farmer_ , how have your first days in Forget-Me-Not been?" She asked with a playful tone, eyes falling to her work on the shot glass. She radiated attentiveness though, so you leaned forward and began to explain your first day on the farm. She grimaced when you talked about your poor hands cracking and splitting.

"Oh honey, I have some cream for that if you ever want to borrow some?" She offered, and when you looked at her questioningly, she waved the rag at you. "I wear heels all day, you think my feet don't crack." You winced.

"That'd actually be really sweet of you, if you wanted to share. I put gauze over them but they still really sting." Muffy nodded knowingly.

"Oh yeah, you need that cream. I can get you some once I'm done here if you like?" You nodded gratefully. "Good, now go ahead and go one, darlin'."

So you did, you talked about how you didn't think Takakura liked you, you talked about meeting Celia, Tim, and Ruby. Then you delved into the story of your encounter with Rock this morning. You couldn't help but notice that as you went on, Muffy's grip on her glass tightened. You paused and she looked up in confusion. "Yes?"

You frowned and pointed at the glass cup she still tightly gripped. "Please be careful not to break that." Is all you ended up saying, and she quickly set the cup down in surprise. 

"Oh, right, right! I'm so sorry, you can keep going." She insisted, a noticeably concerned crease between her brows. You opened your mouth, then closed it wordlessly before drumming your fingers on the bar top. You turned your head inquisitively. "Did I... upset you, Muffy?"

She snapped to attention then, blinking in surprise before frowning and waving her hands in front of her. "Oh, no! Not at all, it's just..." She paused and bit her cherry red bottom lip.

"Rock is obnoxious and it bothers me to no end. I hate that he was like that in his very first interaction with you! He even does that to Lumina!" She gripped her fists tightly on top of the counter. She frowned at slackened her grip though, pressing her eyebrows together more in concern now. "But... I don't think he knows it bothers people. I've never addressed it, and Lumina usually only ignores or entertains his commentary. So the problem is, I don't know if he actually means ill will or not." She explained, finally dropping her chin onto her palm with a shrug,.

You listened closely, eyebrows stitched together in thought. That hadn't really occurred to you, you just assumed he was being a douche just to be a douche.What if it wasn't like that at all?

The front door of the bar opening pulled you both from your thoughts, turning to find Griffin at the entrance. Muffy grinned and waved to her boss. "Hey there, Griffin darlin'!" Griffin only cracked a smile and nodded to you and Muffy before turning to retreat back into his room. You turned back to Muffy.

"Strong silent type?" You asked and Muffy snorted, nodding. "He's a sweetheart though."

She placed the cup she was drying onto the rack behind her and wiped down the bar. "If Griffin is back with groceries already, then I need to get ready for my mixing lessons. He's very strict about no one being around to steal his blends, so for now I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She explained carefully, looking up to smile at you again. "But feel free to come back in when we open, and visit me whenever! Though if you take too long, I might have to come visit you first." She joked and you agreed, moving towards the front door.

"Thanks for listening, Muffy!" You called.

Muffy giggled. "No, thank you for entertaining little ol' me!" You only shook your head in amusement and exited the Blue Bar.

You crashed right into Rock.


	6. Chapter 5

Your face fell immediately, jaw clenched as you stared blankly at the faux blonde. He seemed more nervous this time, tapping his fingers together.

"Oh boy, the peanut gallery has reappeared." You grumble, unenthusiasticly. Rock shrugged and grinned a little.

"Well I am pretty funny." He chuckled but you just stared at him.

"Wasn't a compliment."

Rock's smile froze, then withered. "O-oh... Yeah, about that-." He paused and pulled him mouth to the side in concentration. "We'll not _that_ just now. I mean _that_ as in breakfast." You tapped your foot impatiently. His hand swept his bangs out of his face nervously.

"I just--" "Rock, who are you bothering now?" A soft voice drifted to the two of you and you both turned to find a lovely girl with a green plaid dress and auburn hair. She looked between you both before resting her eyes solely on Rock.

"You haven't made a fool of yourself, have you?" She asked, voice more delicate than her actual words. Despite this, Rock seemed to perk up.

"Lumina! Hey there, this is the new farmer." He exclaimed happily. Lumina simply turned to look you over once more before moving forward to shake your hand with a small smile.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Lumina, and I live up with my grandmother in the mansion on the hill. I hope Rock hasn't upset you, he has a funny way of doing so." You scoffed knowingly.

"Yeah, I've witnessed it." Lumina sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I try to make sure he only does so to me while I try and subtly teach him out of it. I hope you can forgive him though, he honestly means no harm. He's just... An idiot mostly." A smile quirked her lips and you couldn't help but smile back, nodding.

"We'll, put so delicately I suppose I can forgive him." You assured, scratching the back of your neck. Rock poked his head back into your field of vision.

"Really?? That's great. Thank you!" He bounced happily.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Just don't ever try and hit on me again." You growled out, nearly a threat, and Rock stopped bouncing.

Lumina didn't bat an eye, just continued to smile at you, hands folded in front of herself. "I actually came down to invite Rock to join me for my piano practice. Might you like to join us? There are tea cakes and tea available."

You bit your lip at the tempting offer, but shook your head. "No thank you, I actually was going to go home and unpack some more for the night. I'm a bit drained right now." You declined politely, and Lumina nodded understandingly.

"Perhaps next time?" She asked.

"Oh definitely." You promised, watching her smile at that, then turn and motion for Rock to follow her away. He trailed after her, almost like a puppy.

You watched them walk, wondering exactly what their dynamic was, before turning away yourself to head back to your farm. As you reached the door to your house though, a gruff voice called your name. You turned around, curious.

Takakura was walking towards you, holding something in his arms. Actually, two things it seemed, small, furry, and yipping. You broke out into a huge smile. "Oh my God, Takakura I didn't know you had puppies!" You exclaimed happily, jogging to meet him halfway.

He frowned further and placed the two pups down as you reached them. You knelt down and they showered you in excited kisses. "I don't." He grumbled in response.

You took a moment to look up, confused. "Then why do you have these two?"

"My friend breeds hunting and herding dogs. I told him I had a new farmer on my land and he picked out his two most well bred pups for you to choose from." He explained, crossing his arms over his chest. Your eyes widened in excitement.

"You mean it!?" You shouted as one licked your chin. Takakura nodded solemnly. "He gave me a discount but I only payed for one dog, so you get to choose and I bring the bother back." He pointed at the brown spotted puppy with long floppy ears. "That one there's a beagle pup, and the other," he pointed at the light brown speckled puppy with pointed ears and a curled tail. "That's a red heeler pup." He explained while you rubbed both of their bellies and cooed to them.

"Both can help with farm work as long as you train them right. Your choice don't matter to me, but I'm gonna need you to choose now." He finished and you pouted up at him.

"But Takakura, they're both so cute!" You argued.

Takakura frowned further, frown lines accentuated more than ever. "You an' I both know you can't afford the other on your own, and I bought you one. Be happy for that."

You clenched your teeth, eyes falling to the ground in a mix of irritation and shame. You knew you didn't have a lot of money going into this but he didn't have to remind you like that...

You solemnly reached down and picked up the pointy eared puppy, scratching through his fluffy fur. "I choose this one..." You finally answered, climbing back to your feet and avoiding eye contact with the older man.

Takakura stood there silently for a moment before picking up the beagle puppy again. He straightened back up and just stated at you.

"I don't mean to sound so harsh." He grumbled, and that startled you enough to look back up at him. "I'd buy this little guy too if I could afford it, but I can't. I'm sorry, but I wanted to give you a little moving in present." He shook his head and scratched the beagle all over to its delight. You stood frozen in shock for a good long moment while Takakura wordlessly turned and began to walk away again. You shook yourself out of it and took a step forward, chest clenching.

"Takakura!" You called, and he turned back slowly. You had thought he hated you, disapproved of you even and here he was, giving you a kindness in his own stern way. You could feel yourself start to tear up a little.

You smiled widely. "Thank you so much!" You called, trying to keep your voice from breaking. And then, you saw it. Takakura nodded and turned away to keep on his way, but just before that you saw his mouth spread into a smile.

You turned and walked into your house with your new puppy, and a fresh sense of happiness and satisfaction.

Now, to name the cutie.


	7. Chapter 6

It took you a good few hours to finally unpack every box you had shipped to Forget-Me-Not, in the process naming your new puppy. Rowdy seemed to fit well, after realizing you had to make sure he didn't pull the sheets off of your bed. Three times.

You loved him already though, but you'd have to look into dog training books soon.

You supposed it had taken you so long to get everything situated because you were so caught up with your farm work and getting to meet the villagers. And honestly it was also because of your harbored reservations when it came to whether or not this was going to last. Now that you were unpacked things felt... Final. It was nice actually, having this place of your very own finally, adult responsibilities, relationships and your own dog. Life was starting to look up, you thought.

A glance up at your clock reveals that it is 6pm. You perked up and scratched Rowdy's head lovingly as he fell asleep on your bed. Gustafa might be out again tonight, and you wanted to sit and detox with his music again.

You stood and slipped your shoes back on, opening your front door to leave, and right at your front door stood Gustafa himself, hand up about to knock. You both looked at each other in shock.

Gustafa relaxed again first, a serene smile on his visage. "Hey there." He waved lightly and you smiled back.

"Hey yourself, what are you doing on my rinky dink little farm?" You asked, leaning against the door frame. Gustafa just tipped his hat up a little and chuckled.

"If this place is small, I wonder what your definition of big is." You watched him rummage in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a small cylinderic jar to hand over to you. "Muff asked me to bring this to you, said she forgot to give it to you earlier."

You looked down at the metallic cap and smiled excitedly. "Oh! This is the cream Muffy was talking about." You wasted no time unscrewing the cap and ripping off your gloves to expose your cracked hands. Gustafa winced at the sight but you only slathered on a dollop of cream, hissing out a tight breath of relief as the cool gel chilled your aching hands. The solution then seemed to settle into a coat that isolated the injuries. You had to thank Muffy later. You slipped your gloves back on and placed the jar on the small table near your door before turning back to the green clad man.

"I was actually about to leave and see if you were playing again tonight." You admitted to him. He looked surprised for a long moment, so you motioned to him further. "So  while I have you here, may I ask if you'll be playing tonight?"

The hippie's mouth spread into a smile and he bobbed his head a little. "Yeah. I was. But not at that tree, I was going to go somewhere special tonight." You quirked your brow in intrigue.

"Oh?" You asked and he just laughed, scratching his beard a little.

"Yeah. You want to come with?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.

You did not hesitate, closing the door behind you.

"I'd love to."

And so you followed him past your barn and out of the side exit to your farm. This exit led to a small dirt path that followed the river up to its waterfall. Gustafa followed the path up, and you followed curiously, until you reached a clearing. Your eyes widened in amazement.

"This is the fireflies favorite place. Can't blame them though, it is magical." Gustafa breathed quietly, careful to not disturb this place.

And he was right, it was magical!

As the sun dipped down past the mountains to cast a shadow over the valley, this one place seemed to deny the darkness. There was a small, sparkling pond, surrounded by gorgeous yellow, red, and blue flowers; and pitter-pattered about where gigantic blue flowers, bowed over to let their heavy petals hang. But the most incredible part of it, was that the giant blue flowers were glowing, a soft, blue light that cast the meadow in a soft glow. Fireflies flitted about, casting their own yellows and reds to join the blue.

Your breath caught in your throat.

Gustafa watched you silently as you raised your hands to cover your mouth in awe. You took a tentative step forward, then another and another until you stood in the very middle. Your chest felt tight and full, and it was true.

It really was a magical place.

"Do you like it?" A soft voice spoke behind you, and you turned around, eyes glittering in the lights. Gustafa hadn't moved an inch. He only stood, watching you. Your smile filled your expression with joy.

"I love it." Your voice was a soft breath, barely audible but Gustafa smiled anyway. You watched as he pulled his guitar from his back and went to the edge of the pond, where he sat down calmly and tuned his instrument.

You hesitated before following him, settling down on the soft grass beside him.

His fingers worked magic over the chords, filling the meadow with soft, lilting tones. It was nearly dreamy, the situation. Cast in soft lights, in a place that only existed in your dreams, filled to the brim with happiness and surrounded in gorgeous song.

A firefly fluttered past you lazily and you watched it's calm, strobing light.

"They say..." You almost didn't hear Gustafa speak his voice matching the chords he played beautifully. You turned to watch his fingers dance with skill.

"That if you look into the pond..." He continued, and you turned curious attention to the shimmering waters.

"You don't see the reflection of who you are..." You stared harder, tried to get a clear look at your own reflection.

"But who you are meant to be."

And there you were. Leaning in to look into the waters, reflection staring back with messy, tied-back hair and smudged cheeks. And you thought, just for a second...

That you looked like a true farmer.


	8. Chapter 7

"Let's see..." You muttered to yourself in concentration, tapping a pen to your lips at your desk. You pet Rowdy, who sat on your lap while you stared down at a map of the valley.

"I've met Celia and Marlin..." You mumbled, writing down inhabitants names on each home that you've visited. This helped you organize who all you've met and who you haven left to meet.

"Okay, then I met Gustafa, then Tim, Ruby, and Rock... I've meet Muffy, Griffin and Lumina... So now there are three houses across from the bar I haven't visited, and three other houses behind it. Not to mention the mansion or campsite by the waterfall. Soo..." You continued to yourself, leaning your head against your palm. "I suppose I'll stay with heading west. Three houses across for the bar it is tomorrow." You concluded finally, dropping the pen onto your desk and picking Rowdy up into your arms. He hardly stirred.

Passing your mirror, you saw yourself in your pajamas, a tired but satisfied look in your eyes. Gustafa had walked you home after your excursion, and you thanked him for showing you something so special. He had just tipped his hat a little and thanked you for joining him before you both said goodnight.

Now it was really time to get to sleep.

You curled up in bed, Rowdy cuddling close, and closed your eyes.

Your dreams were a hazy blue, full of flowers and shimmering water. A lovely melody floated through the air. You felt serene.

When you woke, you hopped to your duties, thinking it would be fine to let Rowdy run around the farm by himself while you were gone. You watered your plants, perking up when you saw small sprout protruding from the ground. Then you milked your cow, before finally realizing what you should name her while you were pet talking to her.

"Hey there girl, how are you doing?" You paused, hand brushing over her side. A smile split your lips. "Hey, that's it. Old Girl. That can be your name, huh Old Girl? You like it?" Your cow only mooed in response and you took it as a yes.

After you shipped her milk and let her out to pasture, you left your farm in a hurry, feeling oddly chipper. You jogged down the street until you found yourself next to the very first house of three. You knocked on the door twice, stepping back to wait.

There was a long pause and the sound of shuffling inside when the door finally opened. You smiled brightly and looked ahead to see... No one standing I'm the doorway. You blinked in confusion.

"We'll hello there dear." A soft but weak voice spoke and drew your eyes down to find that there was in fact an old woman standing in the door. She was just very, very short. But she smiled up at you sweetly, white hair still fluffy where it curled out of her red and black hat. You gave her a winning smile.

"Hello, Ma'am! I've been introducing myself to everyone in the valley. I'm the new farmer." You explained and the woman only looked up at you calmly, supported by her cane.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, dear. My name is Nina, and my husband Galen is just inside. One moment." She turned around to call back into the house, and moved aside to allow and equally old man join her in the door frame. His face was stuck in a frown and he only grunted in greeting. The couple were both slouched from age, but Galen was very tall compared to Nina. You found it kind of adorable.

Nina and Galen were kind folks, very grandparent-esque. You felt you could trust them. Nina was happy to inform you that a Wally, Chris and Hugh lived next door, but the third building was unoccupied as the previous inhabitants moved away a while ago. You thanked them and went on your way next door.

Your knock received no answer, and you were set to move on again when a man's voice rang out behind you. You turned as saw a very fit man, jogging towards you down the road. She shone from sweat but honestly couldn't look happier. As he stopped to tell you he was, in fact, the owner of this house and his name was Wally, a small boy also jogged up alongside you two, bandages on his cheek and nose.

"Hiya, I'm Hugh!" He introduced himself and Wally explained that his wife, Chris, worked in the city while he was a personal trainer and fitness freak. Hugh seemed to follow in his Dad's footsteps.

You happily introduced yourself and mentioned having to meet Chris some time later, prompting Wally to invite you to dinner some time. You replied that you might like that.

Then the two went off to jog around the Valley a few more times, and you simply watched them go, intrigued.

"Odd people in this Valley..." You muttered, turning to walk to the bottom of a sloping hill. At the top, sat a manor. You took one look up the hill, and turned away. The exorcise could wait a day, besides, you were pretty sure you had just head a small explosion from the scrap heap behind you.

Well, actually... upon closer there were scrap piles, but there was also a shabby shack in the corner and a silo in the very middle. As you drew closer, you realized there were sharp curses coming from the silo, and a rope leading out of it to the ground.

Then, before you were even right beneath the structure, the panel in the bottom opened and smoke flooded out. You jumped back just as a small man slid down the rope, coughing wildly and covered in black soot.

Then he slid down the rope again, mimicking the first ones actions. Now you were just standing there, watching two soot covered men cough and wave the smoke away. They must be twins.

They finally seemed to be able to catch their breath, smearing soot over their faces before beginning to bicker at each other with thick Scottish accents. You just stood there staring at them, when suddenly, one glanced in your direction, turning back to his brother before doing a sudden double take.

He smack his brother's shoulder. "Kassey, Kassey, shut it. There's a lass." The other brother turned to look at you too and you froze, slowly lifting your hand up in an awkward wave.

Turns out the brother's were actually pretty funny and enjoyable to be around. They introduced themselves as Kassey and Patrick, the twin pyrotechnics. Which explained the explosion.

They invited you in for biscuits, but you kindly declined, pointing out their shack was very small. They looked back at their home, then to each other, and nodded understandably. Before you moved on though, you pointed down at the metal sculptures next to the twins home. The ground there was even plated with metal over the grass.

"What is that, exactly?" You asked, and Patrick glanced over, while Kassey hazard to look back into the smoked out silo. The prognosis was grim by the look on his face.

"Oh that, there is Cody's house. He's a metal artist, or so he says. Scary lookin' fellow but wouldn't hurt a fly, that boy." You just nodded and thanked the two, wishing them luck with their pyrotechnics, and approached the looming structure. You could hear the sound of a hammer clanking against metal as you came closer. You slowed down, cautiously turning the corner of the building to find a man with a mohawk crouched over a smaller metal statue. You watched him hammer it into submission on one side before approaching.

"Um, hello. I'm the new farmer." You called out as you came closer and the man, Cody as Patrick called him, slowly drop the hammer back down and look over his shoulder. You hesitated for only a moment, seeing the angry expression on his face. he nodded to you though and stood to his full height, which was much taller than yourself. He came towards where you had frozen and you looked over this muscular arms, and-- where those tattoos or merely paint marks over his body?

He loomed over you, brow heavy over his eyes to give him an absolutely pissed look. Then he raised his hand and shook yours; to your memory, you have never felt someone with such a calloused hand, give such a gentle hand shake. You couldn't help smiling in relief at that. Cody paused before cracking a small, somewhat shy smile back.

Gentle giant were the words that came to mind upon looking him up and down again. You felt you would like him quite a lot.

"I'm Cody... An artist... It's nice to meet you." Even his tone was soft, though his voice had the clear possibility of being booming.

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Cody. I like your art, it's all very interesting." You complimented, looking around happily. Cody seemed to falter for a moment, and then... was he blushing?

"Thank you, I feel like my creations reflect my emotions." Hh replied softly and you looked around again, interest peaked. You pointed to one twisted statue.

"What does that one reflect?"

And so, you sat with Cody for a whole hour, going over his creations and emotions attached. Honestly, he was very interesting, and you fully enjoyed your time. After a while though, you felt a change in his demeanor and he seemed less responsive and more tired. So you thanked him for spending time with you and said your goodbyes. You thought you could see relief and thankfulness in his eyes as you left.

Up the small hill to the right was a walled in laboratory, protected by an electric fence. You took one long look at it before deciding to return to its inhabitants later. Maybe never. The place looked creepy. So instead you decided to visit the ocean once more.

When you looked up ahead, you saw someone with red hair standing on the beach. Next to her, was Gustafa.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE:
> 
> Hey everyone, there are going to be a few changes when it come to the updates of this story. Nothing too bad, I assure you. The thing is, I got a new job at night, one that works me from 8pm to 6am. Now sometimes we get let out early, but my ride works in another department and tends to get off about an hour after me. I've dedicated this time spent waiting for him to writing this story since its quite literally the only time I have to do it anymore. So expect chapters to be a little father between from hereon out, and mostly posted at obscure times. Thank you all for your consideration.
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter is short, I wanted to get it out to include this authors note as quickly as possible. Plus, this chapter includes some plot I've been working on for a little while, so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE END

 

"Hey Gustafa, who's this?" You asked politely as you approached and made sure they weren't in the middle of speaking for you to interrupt.

The friendly hippie turned to you smoothly and smiled, but the redhead didn't even twitch. "Evening, this groovy gal is Nami." He introduced, motioning to his friend. Only then did she turn, resting sparkling, disinterested blue eyes on you.

You hesitated at his words, then longer from her piercing stare. 'Groovy gal?' You wondered how close the two of them were, and how Gustafa got past her cold demeanor.

"Oh, you stay at the Inn! Ruby mentioned you, it's great to meet you." You went on, undeterred, and shook her hand. A small smile spread her face.

"Ruby's too sweet for her own good." She chuckled lightly and you smiled at that. Okay, so she wasn't all cold and heartless. Honestly you should have expected that, especially since she was friends with Gustafa.

"What are you guys doing?" You asked, folding your hands in front of you and bouncing on the balls of your feet.

"Oh, Nami was just telling me her thoughts on mortality." Gustafa motioned to the quiet redhead again, who looked back at the ocean.

You blinked. He had said it so casually you had nearly passed it over without a thought. But you had heard right. Mortality.

You quirked a brow at Nami. "Oh?"

She didn't speak for a long moment, and Gustafa only watched her with a quiet smile.

"It's like the waves." She began softly, walking closer to the water until it just barely touched the edges of her shoes. You both followed.

"It can end peacefully. Washing up on the soft sand, leaving you in the warmth of the sun, content. Or," Her eyes snapped up and turned to look at the nearby sea cliff. Seafoam sprayed into the air.

"It can end quick, violent, disorientating even. There is no comfort in that, just fear." She went on, turning back to the two of us with an almost bored expression. "Really the ocean is a lot like life. I won't go over it now but... Maybe next time."

You stared at her blankly, turning to look between the laping waves and the crashing ones. If that's how it was... You hoped you'd go gently.

"I love hearing your insights to things. It really inspires me for lyrics." Gustafa spoke up, grinning at Nami when you snapped back to attention. Nami smiled back.

"I like sharing with you also." She offered.

You looked between the two smiling individuals and realized your chest suddenly felt... Tight. There was an overwhelming urge coming over you to inspire Gustafa as well. Maybe you were just being competitive but this felt oddly like... Jealousy.

You froze, tuning out the twos conversation at your realization. You were jealous? Of what? Of Nami getting his attention? Well, he was one of the villagers you had clicked with quite quickly. You most likely just wanted to make sure you secured your place as his friend.

And Nami felt like competition.

You shook away your thoughts suddenly as the sounds of a guitar filled the air. You turned to find Gustafa and Nami now sitting on the sand, watching the sea. You felt that pang again, though this time it was more hurt than anything. You felt like you were just intruding.

You frowned and slowly turned away to head back up to your farm.

There was a pause in the chords.

"Do you want to sing along?" You came to a halt, blinking rapidly before turning back to Gustafa and Nami, seeing him watching you while Nami focused on the ocean.

There was that question again.

Your reply came almost instinctively, as a feeling of dejà vu filled you.

"I don't know the lyrics."

Gustafa's smile widened at the edges and he chuckled. "The lyrics aren't important."

And just like that, you felt perfectly light-hearted again, competitive feelings for Nami swept away as you seated yourself on the sand next to the two and watched the sun dip closer to the ocean.

You did not sing, once again.

But you did hum to the melody; and when you glanced at Gustafa, he was watching you attentively, despite the fact that he was producing the original tune himself.

You felt pleased with yourself and hummed a higher note you thought fit well with the current verse.

Then Gustafa perfectly mimicked your pitch through his chords.

Oh.

He wasn't producing the original music anymore. You were. He was just playing along with your humming.

You felt yourself flush with both embarrassment and pride. Sure, it wasn't lyrics... But you had inspired him, hadn't you?

-+-

You dreamt that night.

You dreamt of the meadow just past your farm. Lit by glowing blue flowers, and perfected by a crystal clear pond in the middle.

You did not dream yourself there, and though you could hear his songs in the background, Gustafa was no where to be seen.

You could only watch the meadow sway, lilting tunes filling the air all around you.

You were right, this place really was just like a dream.

_...nd me..._

What was that? Something... Other than the music you could hear. You strained to listen past the guitar.

_...Fi...d...me..._

There it was again. Was it... Coming from the pond?

Your sight stayed firm though, looking over the meadow in that one immobile spot. It would not budge closer to the pond, no matter how hard you tried to force it.

But if you focused on the water, you could swear you saw ripples on the surface.

And a silver flash of movement within.

_Find me_

Your eyes shot open suddenly, staring up at the ceiling. You had been shocked from your sleep and yet... As you tried to remember why, your dream slipped from your grasp.

You sat up in bed, in a sort of daze, and tried to recall it for a long time.

Finally, you gave up and went to start your day on the farm. If it was important, it would come back to you.

Though... You felt an odd feeling lingering inside you. Almost tugging you elsewhere...


	10. Chapter 9

Takakura called after you once you finally began to wander from your farm, unsure exactly where you were you were going, but knowing you were being pulled there for whatever reason. You stopped though at the familiar sound of his rough voice.

"Hey Takakura, do you need something?" You asked, snapping from your daze to address him. He just shook his head.

"You haven't met Van yet. He's in town today, sets up his shop next to the bar. You should go see him." He suggested almost grumpily, but you doubted he was in a mood. His tone just sounded grumpy mostly.

You processed this information as Takakura disappeared into his house without another word.

"Thank you, Takakura!" You still called after him loudly, hoping he'd hear it from inside. You set off to the town path and looked down towards the bar. Lo and behold, there stood a man with a booth just before the bar. You approached him curiously, taking in his appearance as you came closer. He was a stout, husky Asian man it seemed. With his black hair tied in a small ponytail in the back and tiny round glasses perched on his nose. He turned to greet you as you approached the booth.

"We'll I've never seen your face in Forget-Me-Not before. So tell me, just visiting or have you moved here right under my nose?" He asked with a mischievous smile. You chuckled in return and shook your head.

"I just moved in at the farm a little bit ago." You explained, jumping a smidge when he snapped his thick fingers.

"Ah, you're the farmer Takakura was talking about! Wait just a moment. I have some items for you!" He announced almost excitedly before rummaging around beneath his booth. Finally, he reappeared from underneath and produced several items. Your eyes lit up.

Spread put on the booth surface now was a puppy training book, a rubber ball, a dog bed, and some packs of food. You looked up at Van in confusion.

Almost seeming like he knew what you were thinking, he grinned. "Takakura said he got you a puppy, so I thought I'd bring you a few supplies, and I'll even give you a discount since you're new."

"That's so nice of you!" You exclaimed happily, already rummaging around in your knapsack for your wallet. "I'll gladly take then all, please!"

Van let out a happy chuckle and bagged everything in a paper bag while you handed him the money. "And if you ever need anything specific, just ask and I'll order it and have it here the next time I'm in town." He added, turning to your side suddenly. "Ah, Celia! How are you, and how is Vesta doing? Is she back from her trip yet?"

You turned and, to your surprise, there was Celia beside you, smiling back kindly at the salesman.

"I'm doing wonderfully, and so is Vesta. She just returned late last night and is thrilled to be home. She's working the fields right now or she'd be here in my place, but she does say you both need to catch a drink sometime." Celia explained, hands folded neatly over her plaid apron.

Van shrugged. "I don't know about that, I'd be letting my guard down and who knows if Timmy is gonna swoop in and challenge me to something!" He barked back in laughter and it took you a long moment to figure out he must be talking about Tim, the Inn owner.

Celia only rolled her eyes playfully at the man. "Fine, fine. I'll tell Vesta the bad news, _after_ I get back with her fertilizer." She emphasized with raised brows. Van seemed to startle at that and duck back under his booth, waving offhandedly to Celia.

"I didn't forget what you came for."

Celia leaned over to you, cupping a hand around her mouth to whisper. "He definitely forgot." You chuckled back in response.

Celia turned fully to you then while Van rummaged through his wares, and pointed at your paper bag. "What did you buy, if I may ask?"

"Oh! I just bought some supplies for Rowdy, my new puppy." You explained, deciding to add the last statement for clarification. Celia put her hands to her mouth and gasped.

"You have a puppy?" She asked, voice plum full of unrestrained joy. "You have to bring him over to lunch with us on the farm!"

You blinked in surprise, shaking your head for a second to try and process faster. "Wait, what? Lunch today you mean?" You asked in confusion and Celia only nodded happily. You frowned with uncertainty, rubbing at the back of your neck.

"Oh I don't know, Celia... He's called Rowdy for a reason."

Celia would not stand for it though, breaking out into a huge smile with clasped hands and sparkling brown eyes. "Oh that won't be a problem! Marlin is like an animal whisperer, he'll be calm as soon as he meets Marlin! So please, pretty please come to lunch!" She practically begged, then, as an afterthought, added, "You'll get to meet Vesta!"

You deliberated it for a long moment while Van suddenly reappeared and handed over the fertilizer to Celia. She hefted it like a champ and payed.

"Okay fine." You chuckled finally, admitting defeat. Celia squealed happily, hugging the bag closer.

"Wonderful! Be at the farm in 15 minutes,okay?" You nodded in return and Celia raced off to prepare, more excited than ever. You faced Van again. "Thank you so much for these supplies."

"Not a problem! Remember. I come to the valley twice a week, Takakura should have marked those days on your calendar for you." You nodded and grinned before finally jogging back home to set out your new supplies for Rowdy.

You placed the dog bed at the foot of your own bed and put the ball on it. Then, a few inches over where his food and water dishes sat, you placed down the extra dog food bags.

The training book went on your bedside table.

You decided to fix your hair before lunch at Vesta's and stood in the mirror, adjusting stray curls accordingly. You could suddenly hear squeaking behind you, and in the background of your mirror you could see that Rowdy had discovered his new ball. You smiled lovingly as you watched him bat it about and yip at the toy.

"Like it, buddy? Maybe I can ask Van to get you a bone next huh?" You asked the puppy, turning from the mirror to watch him still. He did not reply, fixated purely on his ball. You chuckled and pushed away from the wall.

"Alright, Rowdy. We've been invited out, so I hope you don't mind being carried there."

He did not mind actually. Once you picked him up and placed him against your chest, the only thing he seemed interested in was looking around excitedly, tongue lolling from his mouth. You supposed you'd have to get him a leash when he got bigger, but for now he was your snuggley puppy.

You reached the farm in no time, passing the first building in favor of the second. You knocked at the door, breathing in and out deeply. When the door opened, you were left staring at someone's chest, admiring the bright coloration of their clothes. Then you slowly looked up, and up until you found a face just barely under the door frame. A wide grin met you, kinky orange hair pulled back into a ponytail and out of the way of an impeccably strong chin. You slowly raised your hand in a wave, still very struck by her stature. And you thought Cody was tall. "Hello, I'm the new farmer. Celia invited me for lunch." You muttered, suddenly very unsure of yourself.

A large, calloused hand enveloped your shoulder, and the woman(You assumed she must be Vesta) bellowed out a laugh. "And glad to have you sprout! I'm Vesta." Her voice was as large as her stature. She pulled you inside effortlessly. You were stunned. "Come and sit down! Celia's just about placed everything out."

You hazard a glance around the wooden house, finding it actually quite... Small. Two beds sat in the corner, a small kitchen in the opposite corner, a bookcase and chair to your right, and to your left was a small round table, just big enough to fit four people. And up against the far wall was a ladder that led to the attic. Another room, you thought. As Vesta sat back down, you spotted Marlin staring coldly at you at her side. Celia came from the kitchen with a small pot and placed it on the table, sitting on Marlins other side. All three watched you as you stood motionless in their home. Rowdy scrambled from your arms and ran under the table, but you still hesitated until Celia motioned to the last empty chair.

"Rowdy will be fine, please come and sit." She suggested politely.

"Your dog is licking my leg." Marlin grumbled, leaning back to look down at the puppy.

Your anxieties eased enough that you were actually able to sit at the table. "His name is Rowdy, a red heeler." You tried, watching Marlin wearily.

The man shrugged. "Dog's a dog. Breeds are for pretentious people." He replied before bending down to pick up Rowdy. You bristled. Was he calling you pretentious?

Vesta frowned and smacked Marlin lightly in his shoulder as he set Rowdy in his lap. The man flinched and gave her a harsh look, but she only pointed towards you. You must have been making a face because as soon as Marlin saw you, his brows creased in annoyance, tips of his ears growing red. Before you could retort, he spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just personally don't really pay attention to breeds." He muttered, petting a suddenly very calm Rowdy. You blinked in surprise.

"Oh?" Was all you could manage, confused by the change.

Vesta decided to enlighten you. "Marlin tends to say things the wrong way. He doesn't mean to upset people. He honestly just has trouble saying what he means." Marlin scoffed lightly and glared down as he continued to pet your puppy. Celia only nodded.

"Like I said, he is a very good guy at heart."

Marlins ears burned redder but it went unnoticed by everyone.

Vesta spread her arms suddenly and laughed merrily. "Well, what are we waiting for? Celia's food is getting cold!" Then she took no hesitation in delving into different pans and pots and jars, scooping foods out onto her plate. Soon Marlin and Celia were doing the same and you decided you might as well too. The food all smelled fantastic!

You took a bite of some chicken and nearly moaned around your mouthful. "Oh my Goddess, Celia you made this?" You asked in awe, still ripping into it hungrily.

Celia laughed a tinkling little sound. "Yes, I cook all of our meals." She replied proudly and you looked her right in the eyes.

"Please come and cook for me. You and Ruby, you can live in my barn with Old Girl, it'll be fun." You chuckled back, heart growing lighter as Celia laughed on with you.

"Yeah Celia cooks real well, I just wish she'd figure out what she wants to do with her life." Vesta muttered and Celia stopped laughing, frowning in only slight agitation.

"I told you Vesta, I'm happy enough to be here with you two. I owe you everything." She went on, eyes getting softer as she reached across to place her hand over Vesta's. Vesta smiled forlornly at the younger girl.

"What do you mean, if you don't mind me asking?" You questioned carefully, fork hovering over your food.

"We do--" "Not at all!" Marlin and Vesta had both began, but Vesta overpowered Marlin's groaning voice easily.

"Sit tight though, cause this is a long story." She stated, adjusting in her seat while Marlin just rolled his eyes.

"A story about what?" You asked inquisitively.

Vesta looked up at you, smile wide, but her eyes shone with a sort of sad look.

"The story of how we came to be together." She answered, then folded her hands in front of herself. You felt you couldn't tear yourself from her intense gaze.

"When I was 16, Marlin and my parents died."


	11. Chapter 10

Your first thought to that statement was not what you expected it to be upon reflection. You thought, 'Vesta and Marlin are siblings?' Before it even processed that their parents were dead. You could only stare at Vesta with wide eyes, stealing a glance at Marlin and Celia before returning to the storyteller.

Marlin seem concentrated on petting your now asleep puppy, brow heavy over his eyes. Celia only looked down at her plate, eating slowly.

"Marlin was 12 then and we didn't realize anything was wrong for a few days. Our parents regularly left us home alone while they went on business trips. It wasn't hard so don't pity us, I was happy to take care of my brother." She stated, assuring you not to worry.

"We realized something was wrong three days after they left. They usually always called at night. Sometimes they'd forget once or twice but never three times in a row. Police were at our door later that day to tell us our parents had died overseas, having eaten a poisonous delicacy." Your eyes widened further in shock but Vesta only smiled and waved you off.

"It was just the cooks mistake, no one was trying to kill them." She reassured again, though you didn't feel as assured this time.

"I wasn't old enough to legally live with Marlin alone, so they sent us just outside the city to our godparents, who were close family friends. They owned a farm almost like this one and we lived with them and their young daughter for a long time, learning how to cultivate the land ourselves. They were wonderful people, and took us in like their own..." Vesta's smile withered.

"When I was 20, I got a call saying they were in the hospital."

You sucked in a breath.

"We rushed over there with their daughter, 10 at the time. They were still alive when we got there, just barely. They knew they wouldn't survive, so they said their goodbyes and in the end called me over while Marlin consoled their daughter." Vesta paused, staring down at her plate.

You waited patiently, afraid to look over at Marlin or Celia again.

"They said they were giving me custody of Marlin and their daughter, Celia." Your head whipped around to stare at Celia. Her eyes looked glassy with tears but otherwise she hadn't moved or changed her expression.

"I agreed, of course. I was more than capable." Vesta muttered quietly before her voice picked back up again. "We stayed with them until they passed, then had a long conversation. We decided to move away from the city and all the painful memories. We also decided we might as well do what we were good at so..."

Vesta shrugged and looked back up into your eyes. "We found ourselves here. On a little crop farm in Forget-Me-Not Valley. We've been here for years. We raised Celia, and that's why she thinks she owes us." Vesta rolled her eyes playfully, looking pointedly at Celia. "Though what'd make me really happy is if she'd just get married already and do what she wants."

"What I want to do is be here with you both." Celia retorted, mood lighter already. "And besides, when I do get married, I'd be happy to cook and clean. As long as I'm with the man I love, I'll be happy."

Marlin scoffed loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "If you really want your life to be like that, just marry Rock. He'll just sit around and you'll do all the work." He grumbled out and Celia pursed her lips.

"You know I can hardly stand Rock. And you also know exactly what I mean, Marlin." She snapped back and the room suddenly felt quite uncomfortable. Then Celia spoke up again, more timid this time.

"I just want someone who makes me happy... Someone I can make happy."

Marlin frowned and turned his head away, standing to his feet suddenly with Rowdy in his arms. He plopped the puppy in your lap and left the house with only a muttered, "I'm going to check the turnips."

You all stared at the closed door for a long time before Celia stood as well, looking at you apologetically. "I'm so sorry, I was hoping we'd have a nice lunch together, not this. But I have to leave also, please excuse me." She explained before turning away and climbing up the ladder into the attic. The attic trap door closed behind her.

You sat still and silent while Vesta sighed. "Marlin is in love with Celia." She groaned and you turned to look at her curiously. "And he's also an idiot. Got that from his dad I suppose..." Vesta glanced up with a wry smile.

"We're half siblings technically. Different dads. My Dad was a one night stand." She chuckled and the room felt lighter again. "I'm sorry for all the fuss, kiddo. I hope you still had fun though and would consider coming again. It was real nice having you over." She bumped your shoulder with her fist playfully.

You perked up and nodded. "Oh yeah, of course I'll come back!"

Vesta nodded back. "Good deal." She stood then and you did as well, clutching a very sleepy Rowdy to your chest. She stretched. "Well, back to farming I guess." You chuckled softly and made a sound of affirmation, moving for the door when you stopped suddenly.

You turned back, biting your lip. "Hey Vesta?"

The large woman looked up from clearing the table. "Hm?"

You opened your mouth, then closed it again hesitantly. Finally you forced your words out. "Would you ever be willing to come over to my farm and maybe... Give a newbie some tips on crop cultivation?" You asked, almost shyly, but that all melted away when Vesta's face brightened up happily.

"Yes, of course! Any time you need it, I'm here to help you." She assured and you sighed in relief, thanking her and leaving the building. In the fields you could see Marlin tilling the ground, brow set and frustrated. You just turned away and walked back to your own farm.

"Well Rowdy, what'd you think? They're nice but man there's some tension there." You mumbled to your dog, who only looked up at you and licked your chin. You laughed. "Yeah that's what I thought."

"Curious..." Spoke a small voice at your side and you jumped in fear, whipping around to stare into the shadow of your barn. A small sound of surprise came from the figure hidden within and you felt your adrenaline pound through your veins. Rowdy seemed to sense your agitation and barked furiously at the trespasser.

"Who's there? Come out where I can see you!" You growled, fully prepared to grab the hoe just to your side, leaned against the entrance of the tool shed, and fight.

There was a pause, then slowly a hunched shape hobbled from the shadows. Your fear and aggression immediately shifted to intense confusion.

Before you stood a frazzled man with wildly spiked black hair and a tattered, dirty labcoat. His eyes probably bothered you the most though, bugged out and bloodshot as they were. This guy needed sleep or something. He seemed nervous though, wringing his hands together. You just tilted your head at him.

"What... What are you doing on my farm?" You asked incredulously, waving one hand vaguely as the adrenaline seeped back out of your system.

His buggy eyes shifted about, searching for an escape you thought, before landing on you again. "It's curious how you speak to your dog. He can't talk back." He stated, seeming completely serious. You blinked in surprise and patted Rowdy's head.

"Yeah, I know. I like to pretend he does though, or at least understands me." You replied carefully, truly confused at this point.

The... Scientist? Fiddled with his hands, humming in consideration. You furrowed your brow and shook your head. "Hey, buddy, who even are you? Do you live in the Valley?"

He looked up again, looking almost confused as to what you had said. "Oh..." He paused, lips twitching further into a frown. "Right, we've never actually met. I'm Daryl, the scientist." Nailed it.

Your eyebrows shot up. "Oh! You're the one with the crazy lab with the gate!" He looked almost offended at that but nodded nonetheless. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Daryl. Though that still doesn't answer the question, why are you on my farm?"

Daryl's eyes shifted about again and he seemed utterly uncomfortable, but you only stood and waited. His gaze finally fell to the ground. "I used to walk around the farm to clear my head before you bought it..." He answered nervously and you smiled a small grin.

"Oh well, that's fine then. As long as you don't agitate my animals or step on my crops, feel free to come and walk around." Daryl's eyes lit up in surprise and he fixed his shocked stare on you, flabbergasted.

"R-really!?" He asked, excitedly almost.

You nodded.

Daryl's lips almost, almost twitched to a smile, but then he fell silent and just nodded. "Thank you, I have to return to my lab now." Was all he said before he scurried off. You stared after him, then shook your head in amusement.

"What an odd little man."


	12. Chapter 11

"Hey Gustafa!" You shouted energetically as you raced down the hill from your farm to where he had just left his yurt. You were excited to talk to him tonight, considering you had just recalled something from your childhood to share.

He was already smiling before his gaze landed on you and he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Good evening, you're happy." He said, voice turned up at the end in a glad manner. You reached him finally and huffed and puffed for a moment before straightening back up again, a shine in your eyes.

 

"Do you have lyrics for the song you always play?" You asked in a rush, nearly bouncing as you waited for a response. He looked taken aback for a long moment, scratching his chin, then shrugged. "Honestly it has nothing concrete. But I like the tune, I've just had trouble putting words to it. Why, you wanted to learn?" He asked back, smile widening.

 

You snickered. "As much as I'd like that, you just admitted _you_ don't even know the lyrics. But yes, I did actually! I realized that your song reminds me of a story my parents used to tell me when I was young." You explained as Gustafa motioned for you to follow him away. You did so automatically, focused more on your story. He made a soft noise of interest, so you continued.

 

"It was a fairytale about a dwarf." You stated, crossing your arms as you walked to focus on remembering the details right. "He was in love with this lovely maiden and they always met under the same apple tree. I didn't know if she loved him back, but because his love was so strong the tree became enchanted." You pondered for a moment as Gustafa sat down in the grass and you followed suite.

 

You could feel his attention on you then, and only you, but you only stared at the grass and pondered your story. "Either that, or it was a fairy. I don't really know. But anyways, one day he ate an apple while waiting for her and then he turned into her, because the apple was magic and the manifestation of his love for her I guess." You shrugged. "Anyways, the maiden showed up, confused, and the dwarf let his mouth hang open and the apple piece fell out. He turned back into his normal shape then. And then... Well that part I don't really remember. I think he might have confessed to her, but I'm not very sure." You shrugged again, halfheartedly this time, and turned back to Gustafa.

 

The hippie was beaming at you. "So she was the 'apple of his eye'."

 

You felt your lips spread into a matching grin and nodded. "Yeah! I know I don't remember a lot about the story, but it was my favorite growing up." You pulled your legs up close to your chest and tilted your head to watch him, eyes softening. "It makes me really happy you get it..."

 

He chuckled tenderly and slipped his guitar off of his back. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for love stories." He looked forward and motioned with his chin. "Look, I wanted you to see the Dragonflies."

 

You blinked in confusion, turning forward finally to realize where you were. There was a small handful of trees beside Daryl's lab, you just hadn't known there was a pond in the middle. And above the water's surface were many dragonflies, flitting across and skimming the water with their tails. Your eyes widened at the sight, passing over each new fluttering insect whose bodies shimmered in the dying light.

 

"They usually come in summer, but sometimes its warm enough during spring in our Valley that they come out and dance." Gustafa explained in a low voice and something in your chest stuttered at the words 'our Valley'. You were a part of this community to him... this was your home and he stated it so nonchalantly. Your hand went over your mouth in awe, tears springing to your eyes suddenly.

 

Gustafa watched the dragonflies for a long moment, before turning back to you again to speak. "I figured you hadn't seen Turtle Pond ye-- Are you crying?" He asked, voice switching from calm to concern in a heartbeat. He sat up straighter, leaning in close to you with a hand hovering uselessly in the air. You couldn't help but notice the abandoned guitar in the grass. "Are you afraid of dragonflies?" Gustafa asked, and you couldn't help the harsh bark of laughter that erupted from you. Of course he would think it's that, worried so much about your comfort.

 

You shook your head and swiped at your tears, laughing weakly. "No! No, no it's nothing just... I don't know, this whole thing has left me very emotionally vulnerable and you're so kind to me. You show me all of these special things, and I haven't been able to give you back one thing." You explained, chuckling. When you looked back at Gustafa though, you were surprised to see his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What is it?"

 

"I don't understand." He said finally, reaching up to scratch his hairline, tipping his hat up a little in the process. You didn't understand what he meant, but he went on before you could ask. "You've already given me so much kindness, and special gifts."

 

Your shoulders fell in shock, hand drawing away from your mouth. "Wh... What?"

 

Gustafa smiled back, his expression held an edge of bashfulness. "You give me your company and attention for one. When we first met, I didn't really think you'd be by the very next night to see me again, and yet there you were."

 

Your response hit autopilot, voice low and emotionless as you just stared at him. "Technically you came to me that night..." You mumbled, thinking back to when he brought you Muffy's cream. Gustafa's expression broke for a moment into a laugh. He nodded. "Yes, but you had already been heading to see me." You nodded. That was true.

 

"The point is, I've already started to look forward to your appearances. And not to mention, you gave me a wonderful gift just tonight." He explained further, and you could only quirk a brow, flushing pink as Gustafa stared out onto the water's surface.

 

"A gift?" You asked, dumbstruck. Gustafa nodded and picked up his instrument. He began to play the same tune that was slowly becoming so familiar to you. You just watched on curiously."

 

"Forgive me if it sounds funny, but I've just been thinking of these after you told me your story. I only have a short part." He went on and-- was he... embarrassed, nervous maybe? You couldn't figure out what he meant until he took in a breath and it all clicked.

 

"There was... A miraculous apple... that grew on a tree..." His voice was gentle and lilting, tone dancing over your skin just the same way as the dragonflies danced above the water. You felt goosebumps rise.

 

"And if you ate it... You'd get wishes three..." The tune played out further but his voice stopped. You wished he would sing again.

 

He struck the final few chords and looked up at you slowly. "Like I said, I only have a rough first part."

 

You stared at him in awe, leaving Gustafa to almost squirm nervously. Your chest felt light and you didn't know what to say first.

 

"I inspired you?" Was what your first words were, tone soft as a whisper.

 

Gustafa tilted his head up in surprise. "... Yes, you did. I've been searching for the right lyrics for so long and once you told me that story it just felt right." He went on, and you felt tears well up in your eyes again.

 

Your hand went to rest on his, and he looked down in surprise then back up at you.

 

Your voice was a gentle plea.

 

"Please sing to me more..."

 

And Gustafa stared at you for a long moment before smiling, placing his hands back over the strings. When he sung again, you leaned closer to him and watched the dragonflies.

 

You'd bring him somewhere tomorrow. You promised yourself that.


	13. Chapter 12

You found yourself at the ethereal pond again, lit with soft blues and absolutely sparkling. This time, you could move around.

So you went to the edge of the pond, unsure what brought you there, but determined to find out. The waters were still and clear, a glow almost seeming to grow from the very bottom. The sight made you feel wistful, and you couldn't resist reaching a hand out to touch the surface.

From within the pond, and hand reach out and touched yours just under the waters surface.

_Find me, please!_

Your eyes snapped open to the light of dawn streaming into your little house. You sat up in bed, sweating and breathing hard. You felt a shiver down your arm and look down at your palm curiously.

You hand looked normal by all accounts, but when you touched your palms together, you found that one remained freezing cold.

What had you dreamed? All you could remember was blue, and water.

You jumped suddenly as Rowdy leapt into your lap, whining softly and pawing at your stomach. You couldn't resist the giggle he pulled from you, dream quickly being shoved up the back of your thoughts.

"Alright buddy, let's get you some breakfast." You announced, stretching your arms high over your head before swinging your feet over the edge of the bed.

You went along with your chores happily, tending to Rowdy, your budding crops and Old Girl. You had began to fall into a rhythm when it came to your work on the farm, and in all honesty you liked that. It meant you were successful enough to have not given up long enough to even develop a pattern.

It felt nice, you decided. You felt accomplished.

You'd decided today to see if you could take Lumina up on her previous offer and see if you could finally meet Miss Romana.

You were on your way down the stone street when you neared Nina and Galen's house. The door opened and you looked over curiously, freezing in place.

Coming out of the building was a bald man in a lab coat and striped shorts. He had a metallic disk strapped to his head, the kind doctors usually wore. Your blood ran cold.

"Are Nina and Galen okay?" You burst out, rushing towards the assumed doctor. When he turned his gaze on you, you were surprised to find a cold metal eye staring back, a scar ripping through where his normal eye had once been. He looked down at you, bothered by your lack of personal space, and hummed gruffly.

"Nina and Galen are fine, I was merely checking up on Nina like any good doctor would." He replied, voice stoic and deep, before offering his hand.

"You must be the new farmer. I am Dr. Paddock Hardy, but you may call me Dr. Hardy. If you ever need medical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me." He introduced as you shook hands. He then produced a small bottle of sanitizer and spread a dollop over his hands. You tried not to take offense.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment I need to get to in the city. Good day." And with that he began to walk away. You watched after him for a moment before your eyes fell to his feet. The sudden laugh took you by surprise as you tried to suppress it in vain, snorting loudly.

He was wearing flip-flops.

"Dr. Hardy likes the simplicity." A warm voice spoke behind you and you nearly leapt into the air. When you whipped around you found an adorable blonde woman dressed in pink with feather framed glasses. She put a hand to her mouth and giggled.

"I didn't mean to startle you! I just heard you reacting to Dr. Hardy's sense of fashion and thought I'd explain." She reached her hand out for yours, eyes sparkling in a way that reminded you of someone... "I'm Chris."

You snapped your fingers, shaking her hand energetically. "Oh, you're Wally's wife! Your family has beautiful eyes." Chris laughed again in response to your enthusiasm.

Chris said she couldn't stay long as she worked in the city and you parted ways, continuing on to the bottom of the hill. You sucked in a deep breath and forced yourself up the steep incline.

You were huffing and puffing painfully by the time you made it to the top, slumping against the extravagant fountain that sat before the mansion. "Oh Goddess, I have to get more cardio in..." You wheezed out.

"Especially if an old woman can make it up and down with no sweat." An amused, time-worn voice spoke close to you. Your head snapped up in surprise, finally realizing the old woman sitting at the fountain edge next to you. At her side was an equally elder man in a green checkered vest. He held a platter with glasses full of cool liquid. The woman smiled at you. "Would you care for some lemonade?"

That was how you met Romana, and her butler Sebastian. She welcomed you in after you cooled down, and although Lumina was not around, you still felt very comfortable sitting down and having tea with the lady of the house. She was full of refreshing humor, telling you stories of her past and assuring Sebastian could join in as they were long-time friends. It was honestly very fun, and when you finally looked at the time, three hours had passed. You excused yourself politely, thanking her for the tea while she only thanked you for your company. You happily pet her three cats on the way out.

The walk back down the hill was much easier to your relief, though there was an odd fellow who passed you on the way up. He was scruffy, hair a wildly untamed mess, and it seemed as if he was only wearing a loincloth. You stared after him in confusion as he just continued to mutter 'moi' to himself.

You made a mental note to ask about him later, and simply made your way towards Vesta's farm instead. You believed the only people in the Valley you had left to meet were the two excavators next to the waterfall. So, you thought you'd finally introduce yourself.

An hour later, you felt exhausted just dealing with the head excavators attitude. He wasn't mean, he was just wild in nature and unpredictable it seemed. When you first approached the site, he was standing at the edge of the river with his arms spread in the air. He had his eyes closed and was just standing there. You hesitated in approaching him, but his partner, a more level-headed blonde woman with her hair tied back in a messy ponytail, emerged and announced your presence.

 "Carter, we have a guest." She spoke up, going about her business placidly. 

Carter whipped around then and you knew immediately that this encounter was going to be very extra.

Flora seemed to balance him out well enough, and you could see how they got along so well, but after a while you just had to leave. They bid you farewell and you retreated back to the safety of your farm, noticing the unkempt man wandering town once more. You ignored him. 

You collapsed on top of your bed, letting out a tremendous sigh while Rowdy just jumped up to curl up next to you on the covers. You pet his head. "Everyone in this Valley is so weird, Rowe." You mumbled, face pressed against your pillow. You glanced down at your puppy and smiled.

"But I think I like them."

Rowdy let out a wide yawn and you followed suit, flipping over to get more comfortable in your bed. "Yeah, I'm tired too. How about we take a little nap, huh?" Rowdy didn't bother answering, just licked his lips and snuggled in closer to you. You let out a soft chuckle and let your own eyes fall shut.

"Just a little nap..."


	14. Chapter 13

You woke to knocking on your front door, sitting up suddenly with a sense of disorientation. You felt gross and sticky, clothes clinging to your body in uncomfortable ways. You swiped at the dried drool track down your chin and hopped out of bed with a nearly panicked energy, though you weren't certain why. Rowdy rolled off of your chest and onto the bed as you shifted to your feet, but otherwise he didn't pay much attention.

You pulled open your door to the sound of Rowdy yawning behind you and stared with wide glassy eyes at the man before you. Gustafa stood there, staring back silently with his hands in his pockets. His gaze shifted up to your hair, then back behind his purple shades, and you smoothed your hand over your hair self-consciously. Just as you expected, it was wildly unkept.

 

"Oh my Goddess." You broke the silence, grabbing your hair in your fist while Gustafa just broke into a smile.

 

"You forgot?" He asked calmly and you were so relieved he at least didn't sound hurt.

 

"No, I took a small nap cause I felt so exhausted after meeting Carter and I--"

 

"Slept too long?" Gustafa's grin was even wider.

 

You dropped your hand in defeat. "Slept too long..." You confirmed, disappointed in yourself. You turned on your heel back into your house, waving Gustafa in after you. "Come in while I get ready. I'm so sorry for this." You called over your shoulder, opening your dresser to collect a suitable outfit for your activity.

 

"Carter is a bit excitable." Gustafa's continued, voice resonating a little bit louder as he entered your home. 

 

You scoffed. "You're telling me." You took your clothes into your bathroom, closing the door behind you. You still called out to Gustafa casually through the door as you began to undress.

 

"So, are you excited?" You asked, taking a moment to scrub the sleep sweat from your face off with a rag.

 

There was a contemplative pause before he replied. "Well, in a way I am. The mysterious nature of where you intend to take me is exciting." 

 

You chuckled in response, dressing up quickly and brushing through your hair. "Well we're going to keep it that way." You stated happily, finishing up your preparation and exiting your bathroom to find Gustafa sitting on the edge of your bed with Rowdy in his lap.

 

He looked up at you and shrugged. "He licked my hand, I couldn't resist."

 

You grinned in return. "Understandable."

 

"We can bring him with if you want. The only time he gets to get out and play is on the farm, so I'm sure he'd love this."

 

Gustafa raised his eyebrows pointedly, stroking the small dog. "So we will be outside at this mystery destination. Good to know."

 

You snorted and shook your head as Gustafa burst into a happy smile. "Yeah, yeah, okay it's outside that's correct." You threw over your shoulder as you turned to grab Rowdy's leash, aka a long piece of white rope. You turned back to the two boys and found Gustafa still cheesing at you relentlessly. You rolled your eyes, amused, and stooped down to tie the leash around Rowdy's collar while Gustafa held him still.

 

"You know, you shouldn't have him on your lap." You bit your lip for a moment. "Well, who am I to talk really... The point is, he's going to be a pretty muscular dog when he grows up. Not huge, medium in size really, but heavy as all get out. If you have him in your lap, he'll get used to it."

 

"You say that as if I'll be around often enough to make this a habit." Gustafa muttered, and you had to pause for a second at his tone. 

 

You ended up just shrugging in reply, and very confidently stating, "Yes, you will." You picked up Rowdy out of Gustafa's lap, scratching him behind the ears as you stared at the ground. The air between the two of you seemed to have shifted suddenly, into a space of tension; and yet, you couldn't figure out why it all felt so tense. You just knew you wanted Gustafa around for a long time, but at the same time you had no clue what Gustafa might want.

 

"Won't you?" Your voice was soft as the question came out, the silence afterwards growing painfully long. The clench in your chest was all the proof you needed that you really did want Gustafa around. Even if the other villagers lost interest, you thought maybe... You'd be okay with only Gustafa's companionship.

 

"Yeah, I will." Gustafa snapped you out of your thoughts and you looked up at him again, finding him standing in front of you now, smiling. You stared up at him for a long moment, chest thumping chaotically in your chest, and smiled back.

 

"Good."

 

Rowdy wriggled from your grasp then, hopping to the ground to run around excitedly. He stopped and yipped at the two of you. You laughed and bent down to grab his leash.

 

"Alright boys, lets get going."


End file.
